Number of HIV-Positive People in Vietnam With Drug Access Increasing, Health Official Says

The number of HIV-positive people in Vietnam with access to antiretroviral drugs increased in 2007, Doung Quoc Trong, director of the country's HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Department, said on Thursday, the VNA/Mathaba.net reports. According to Trong, the number of people with treatment access increased to 16,500 last year from 6,000 in 2006. He added that 17,795 new HIV cases were recorded in 2007, including 7,388 AIDS cases. In addition, 3,566 people died from the disease last year, Trong said. The country has recorded a total of about 300,000 HIV/AIDS cases, Trong said, adding that there is an average of 30 new cases transmitted daily.

More than 5,000 peer educators have been working nationwide to promote awareness among high-risk groups, such as drug users and commercial sex workers, according to Trong. Vietnam also has pledged to meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of reducing its HIV/AIDS prevalence to under 0.3% by 2010, according to VNA/Mathaba.net (VNA/Mathaba.net, 2/1).